The Xbox Nexus: Is The World Ready For Multiple Xboxen?

If The Verge’s claims are believable, then there might be some upset in the Xbox Kingdom, at least amongst the fanboys. If you’re old enough, you might remember when Microsoft unveiled two Xbox 360 SKUs at Gamescom in Germany seven years ago, known as the ‘Core’ and the console proper. After launching a console that had a hard drive in every single unit, the idea of fracturing the user base amongst people who both did and didn’t have hard drives seemed like a strange form of blasphemy. Well, maybe the strangest is yet to come…

Microsoft, again, if The Verge’s sources are correct, is set to announced a set top box, not dissimilar from one you may use for your cable or a Roku, with Xbox branding. When Windows unveiled its Windows 8 branding, Xbox was prominently placed as a major tenet of their empire. In that regard, the idea of waiting seven years between iterations of Xbox-branded hardware seems a little ridiculous and hardly practical in a rapidly-evolving living room. This “Xbox TV” would be a simpler device, perhaps simpler than even the Xbox 360, that would stream content and play some Xbox Live Arcade-level games. It’s a bizarre segue and I have no doubt they’ll be shunning cable providers to bring it to the living room. But why? Why not put one of those silver threaded barrels on the back and pipe in live TV as well? Does the world really need another thin-client internet-enabled box? No, I don’t think so. Even Apple is having some struggle pushing its Apple TVs, which CEO Tim Cook deems a hobby for the company.

I’m not sure what Microsoft’s angle is, but copying the competition and then gradually improving – a general behavior of the company since inception – seems weird considering this is some small potatoes. However, when you consider their next-gen console will probably retail for $400, a $200 Xbox TV maybe isn’t so bad…